Reviews for Historic Gems
diamond chapter 6 . 4/30/2018
Did she get a 100 on the report
DragonBat362 chapter 6 . 9/5/2017
Not bad, not bad at all.
Anonymous chapter 6 . 3/31/2016
I was hoping for a chapter about the Napoleonic era.
laughinsohard chapter 1 . 3/30/2016
No dude, I am actually American, I just never knew the Americans actually called it World War One even before the Second World War. But, eh, we can pretend in the SU World, everyone (Even Americans) call it The Great War, right?
TooLazyToLogIn chapter 1 . 3/30/2016
Okay, I can obviously tell you're not American. I didn't learn until Advanced U.S. History in high school that WWI was referred to by Europeans as "The Great War". Americans know it as World War One and that only. It's just the fact that SU implies that it takes someplace in the U.S., this really jerks the reader out of this fantasy you're trying to create. Besides that, I think it's great!
Guest chapter 9 . 7/10/2015
WOOO! Oh my, I never thought I would enjoy reading about history so very much! I loved it!
PublicEnemy123 chapter 9 . 7/9/2015
Wow, you finished these chapters faster than I could read or review them. You have one hell of a work ethic haha.

I got to say, right off the bat, your World War 2 arc was much better handled than the previous ones. It's nice to actually see the gems have more a reason to be at the fights rather than just being there by coincidence. Also seeing actual reactions from the gems was also really good and put more emotional investment into the story. I'm not sure how much of it was from my advice or just from your own previously established plans, but it's an immense improvement from the start either way.

I would have preferred it a little longer, but like you told me in your message, you're still new to writing, so that can be forgiven. You do seem to crank out your chapters pretty fast, which is good and shows your enthusiasm, but don't be afraid to take time on your chapters either, allow them to have some length (only as long as needed of course) and give each chapter as much attention as it needs.

One last minor criticism that I have is your Narrative perspective can be a bit all over the place. By that I mean in one line, we're with the gems, the next line we're with the Germans, the line after that we're back with the gems. Example from chapter 8:
*********
The officer zoomed in with his binoculars on the planes and saw the white star on them.

"Americans!' shouted the German officer, 'Get the guns ready!"

German soldiers ran over to the Anti-Aircraft guns, aiming for the planes heading in their direction.

On a plane, an American pilot turned on his receiver.

"Alright boys, and girls, let's give the Nazis a little wake-up call!" said the pilot.

German Anti-Aircraft guns aimed at the planes ahead.

"Fire!" said the German officer.

The Anti-Aircraft guns fired at the planes. The Anti-Aircraft shells that didn't meet their target exploded in the air.

"This is too dangerous!" said Pearl, "I didn't expect it to be this dangerous!"
*******

If this were film, that would be fine cause you can go back and forth through jump cuts. However, this is written narrative. And yes, you are using a 3rd person narrator, but even that needs to be focused on one person or one group of people. How I'd recommend writing a scene like this is keeping the focus inside the American planes with the gems, letting the tension build up as they reach their destination of battle. As they get closer, maybe an alarm goes off signaling they have been spotted and shells start exploding all around them. That way the reader can gather on his own that the Nazis spotted them and started firing.

Which isn't to say you can't have scenes through the Germans' perspective, but you should some kind of line-break in between perspective shifts, rather than have it sporadically go back and forth. That's just my advice on the topic

That said, you are definitely improving as a writer. I hope you keep writing and keep improving. Look forward to see what you do in the future.
chadtayor020 chapter 9 . 7/9/2015
Amazing way to show the Gems going through history.
Guest chapter 7 . 7/7/2015
I am loving this story so far. It is very well written and I can't wait for the next chapter! Amazing job!
Guest chapter 4 . 7/7/2015
HOLY SHIT GARNET AS A NEGRO SLAVE. WOW. w
PublicEnemy123 chapter 6 . 7/6/2015
I'm not saying any of this to be mean, I just want to give honest constructive criticism.

You have a great idea for a story here, a story I've always wanted to see explored in Steven Universe. And you definitely sound like you're passionate about history and can give a lot of insight to these events through the Gems. Honestly though, I feel you aren't living it up to it's full potential.

The Crystal Gems are all really colorful characters with vibrant personalities, but I'm not really seeing it shine through here. To simplify them, Rose is the loving, motherly figure who cares deeply for all around her finding the beauty in everything, especially Humanity. Amethyst (at this point) is the rowdy child who doesn't think before she acts, and is rather naive. Garnet is the big sister who is second only to Rose as far a authority goes, a personality that is kind of hard to read, but always thoughtful of those around her. Pearl is like the teenager of the group who tries to front a mature personality, yet is still rather immature, and a nervous wreck when nothing goes right (and let's not forget her obsessive love for Rose, I don't believe we have seen any of that yet).

Which brings me to my next point, these girls with these bright personalities, how would they react to what's going on in the world? You kind of have that going on with Pearl, but it seems most of your scenarios are just "Pearl learns something is about to happen, CGs go anyway, monster attacks in the middle of fight." The characters here feel kind of dull compared to the show, so you should ask yourself how would these characters would react in these situations to liven up their personalities a bit. What are there reactions to the fighting? How does the motherly, human-loving Rose feel about all the fighting? How does Rose feel about slavery? What does Garnet feel about being mistaken for a slave just cause she looks like a black woman? Does Pearl have any more feelings about the fighting other than "Let's stay away from it"? What does the childish Amethyst think of everything? In WWII how are they going to feel about the Pearl Harbor attack? The Holocaust and Nazism? The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima? Will they be there for any of those events? In general, how do some of the gems feel about these wars? Do they support any of the combatants causes? No? Do they butt heads on any of the issues? (Maybe Amethyst supports one country, Pearl supports another, Garnet doesn't care, Rose maybe kinda supports one but doesnt like the fighting, just to throw out some examples.) Do any ever try to interfere with any events? Do they argue if they should interfere or not? Honestly, if you can just improve on there characters, and put them into more interesting situations, you fic can improve tenfold.

This story is Pearl telling a story to Steven and Connie, so what are Steven and Connie's reaction to these firsthand stories from the front lines? How would Steven react to Garnet being called a Negro? You can definitely play with this concept more, going back and forth from past to present mid-chapter. And heck, why not have Garnet and Amethyst tell some of their sides of the stories, as a way to get some more differing views on worldly events.

My biggest issue with your WWI chapter in particular is that you didnt really do anything with it. The Crystal gems go after a monster, monster kills itself on a mine, you see a little bit of French-German fighting, the end. What was the point of talking about WWI then? Isn't Pearl supposed to be teaching Steven and Connie about it through stories? What did they learn from that then? There were many events from WWI you could have talked about that the Gems could have been present for and/or reacted to. The Assassination of Francis Ferdinand or the sinking of the Lusitania for instance.

And hell, the World of Steven Universe is officially stated by the creators as "an alternate Earth where magic exists but humans try to stay away from it" so you could probably play around with historical events a little if you wanted to. Maybe certain events played out different due to interference from the Crystal Gems or the monsters they fight.

Sorry if this came out as harsh, I'm just trying to give some helpful advice so you can improve (I was a Creative Writing Major, so I tend to get into this kinda thing). Granted this is just a fanfic, and I, nor is anyone else, expecting you to write a 100 chapter epic or text-book on every major war. You don't have to do every little thing I said (this is your story after all, first and foremost), but keep some of what I said in mind at least. You got a decent story here with a strong idea, and I want to see it pan out a great as it can truly be. Regardless of what you do, my man, good luck with the rest of your story and I look forward to the next chapter
Dalekz universe chapter 5 . 7/5/2015
Oh world war 1.
thewittywhy chapter 3 . 7/4/2015
Can't wait to see what's next! :D I can imagine Garnet kicking confederate ass.

Garnet, "I'm sworn to not hurt Humans. But then again, you are less than human you slavery loving bastards!"
Dalekz universe chapter 3 . 7/3/2015
Oh man I can't wait for the world wars for what the gems had to go through.
OMAC001 chapter 2 . 7/2/2015
Looks like the Gems will be joining the Battle of Yorktown! Can't wait to see it!
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